The Junction (Delco Tower)

Delco Tower "CG" was a Pennsylvania Railroad (Pan Handle) tower guarding
the crossing between the Pennsy and the number 2 Main of the
CCC&StL/New York Central (Big Four). It was located just
south/southeast of the junctions of Ohio Avenue, Columbus Avenue,
Cincinnati Avenue, 18th Street and Mounds Road.

Since the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine (CCC&StL) had constructed
their main line through Anderson first in 1851, it fell to the
Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad Co (PRR) to guard the crossing and man
the tower when they crossed the Bellefontaine in 1855. By 1880, a
number of manufacturers had located at the Junction because of the
rail service available at the crossing of the two railroads and
the importance of the Junction tower was growing.

With the creation of the Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis (Central
Indiana Railway) in 1871 and the Anderson Belt Railroad in 1892,
all roads seemed to cross at the Junction providing abundant work
for the tower in controlling the crossing of three railroads and
movements into and from the Belt Railroad. This, then, led to the
construction of what was to become Delco Tower about 1895. Delco
Tower was to house a US&S type S-8 electro-mechanical interlocking
machine with a 40 mechanical lever frame and a 16 electrical lever
frame.

Automobile and glass plants sprang up near the Junction as the
1900's began and the Remy brothers had arrived by train to began
experimenting with magnetos and other automotive electrical
systems. This would become Remy Electric which would later be
sold to the newly formed General Motors and as factories were
built through WWI, more tracks were laid to service the growing
industry in the area. The Anderson Belt Railroad had become a
part of the Pennsy by 1916 and by 1928 Remy Electric was joined
with Dayton Electric Laboratories (Delco) of Dayton Ohio and the
manufacturing of Coils, Starting Motors and Generators increased
the traffic through and around the Junction. The Junction tower
was renamed Delco Tower, better reflecting the movements to the
numerous GM plants in the area.

Along and south of Delco Tower,there were four tracks, the Wye,
the scale and 3 tracks down along side of the Philadelphia Quartz
plant (now PQ Corporation). At one time, there were 6 diamonds
controlled by Delco Tower. The Pennsy main crossed the Big Four
side track and number 2 Main and the Central Indiana and then the
Pennsy siding crossed the side track, the number 2 main and the
CI. Pennsy's siding had no assigned direction and could hold about
57 cars between Delco Tower and Gridley Tower to the East. The
Union Traction Co. (later to be the Indiana Railroad) as well as
the Central Indiana Rwy passed along with the PRR tracks in front
of the tower with the Big Four (NYC) tracks passing behind it.

There was a crossover right in front of the tower siding on the
north side of number 2 Main and a crossover from 2 track to that
siding just west of the tower. In front of the Pennsy there was
a crossover from the siding to the main as you went south on the
PRR and just right off of Ohio Avenue was a switch that curved
around from the Pennsy Main to the NYC side track going back toward
Pitt Street.

For many years, Delco Tower controlled the Pennsylvania RR from
Sulphur Springs (south) through Anderson to a block near Frankton
(north) with Elwood Block Station controlling from
there almost all the way to Kokomo. Delco Tower also controlled by remote
control the signals and the one switch north of Cross Street of the now
unmanned DOW. Delco also was in control of the
Approach signal north of Hartman Road and could instruct which PRR freights
were to take the siding.

With the decline of the old PRR lines under Penn Central and the
further decline of shipping generated by local industry and the
automotive parts plants, Delco Tower was retired as a manned
installation and as an interlocking on August 1, 1976 when Conrail
removed the Richmond Branch diamond from the crossing of the number 2
Main. All that's left there is the CR number 2 Main. To the south of
the PQ Corp. plant is still a part of the Wye and the trackage that
led to the Anderson Belt Railroad (See Gridley Yards).

Picture Credits:Delco Tower at the time of Penn Central - From the Marvin Crim Collection.PRR F7 #9825 in Anderson on July 25, 1960 - Photo by Jay Williams - Marvin Crim Collection.
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Last updated August 26, 1997.
This "Railroads of Madision County" page is written, maintained and hosted by: Roger P. Hensley madisonrails@railfan.net
Copyright 1997 by Roger P. Hensley. An addition to the original work by Roger P. Hensley
Copyright 1995.